Cypress Hills Vineyard and Winery win double gold at Canadian Wine Championship

When Marie Bohnet received an email telling her the list of award winners for the All Canadian Wine Championships was out, she logged on to the website, hoping to see a Bronze or Silver finish for one of the five wines they submitted. When she read that their “Spring” wine had received, not just a Gold Medal, but a Double Gold, the highest honour that can be bestowed, she was simply over the moon.

“As a wine maker you’re always striving to make the best product you can,” says Bohnet. “This year’s Spring is really exceptional. It’s really balanced has a wonderful aroma and a good mouth feel to it. But a wine is only as good as the ingredients you use, and the ingredients we used this year were exceptional as well.”

Sourced from within Saskatchewan’s southwest the winery uses cherries produced from Cleod Nine Orchards in Shackleton and honey produced from nearby Piapot. It is the addition of honey to the Spring wine, which allowed it to be entered in the Mead category. A category that included entries from British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Ontario. Wines were judged using the 100-point system and Double Gold medals were awarded to the single highest rate wines in each category.

In addition to the bragging rights that come with achieving this milestone, Bohnet says it also adds another level to the work they do at the winery. “For the first-time guest to the winery it adds validity to see the medals hanging on the wall and know that the wine they are drinking has been recognized in this way nationally.”

It also, says Bohnet adds validity to her own work as a winemaker, knowing that she can compete with some of the biggest wineries in Canada. Something that she says will spur her on to maintain this level of quality.

“Each year the wine is different. But now that we know without a doubt that we can make this level of award-winning quality product, my job will be to ensure that we continue to do so.”

To learn more about the All Canadian Wine Championships visit:: http://canadianwinetrail.com

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